WASHINGTON -- Giancarlo Stanton tied a major league record with his 18th home run in August, but Anthony Rendon had four RBIs and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Stanton hit a long homer in the first inning, his 51st this season, to open the scoring following a 26-minute rain delay. His August output matched the mark set by Rudy York with the Detroit Tigers in 1937. Sammy Sosa set the record for homers in a month when he hit 20 in June 1998, and Stanton has two games left this month to catch the former Cubs slugger.

Stanton added an RBI with a deep sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.

Rendon's three-run double in the seventh came after Washington's bullpen thwarted a rally earlier in the inning. Daniel Murphy also had a two-run single.

Nationals starter Edwin Jackson (5-3) allowed three runs -- two earned -- and six hits over six innings plus four batters.

Washington shortstop Trea Turner went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk in his first game since breaking his right wrist on June 29.

The Nationals, 16-7 since Aug. 6, had five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings against Vance Worley (2-4). The journeyman surprisingly held Washington to one run over 13 innings in back-to-back wins during the first eight days of August.

Junichi Tazawa allowed Rendon's double and three runs in the seventh. Rendon also added a run-scoring single.

Trailing 5-2 entering the seventh, Miami scored one run on Jackson's throwing error and loaded the bases on Stanton's intentional walk with no outs. Relievers Oliver Perez and Matt Albers ended the threat with two groundballs and a strikeout to help Jackson earn his third win in four starts.

Murphy's two-out single up the middle put Washington ahead 2-1 in the third. Ryan Zimmerman's RBI hit in the fifth ended Worley's outing.

Washington activated Turner from the 60-day disabled list before Tuesday's game. After Stanton's homer, Jackson loaded the bases with two outs on three walks. Turner saved further damage with a full-out dive to his right on Tomas Telis' sinking liner.

Nationals: OF Bryce Harper, who hyperextended his left knee on Aug. 12, is "improving," manager Dusty Baker said. Harper is walking without a limp, but hasn't resumed any baseball activities or drills. ... RHP Ryan Madson (finger sprain) will rejoin the team Thursday in Milwaukee and be re-evaluated. ... Washington sent INF Adrian Sanchez to Triple-A Syracuse and moved OF Ryan Raburn (left trapezius strain) to the 60-day DL with Turner returning. ... INF Stephen Drew, out since July 26 with a left abdominal injury, may require a "procedure" that could end his season, Baker said. Drew was moved to the 60-day DL on Monday.

UP NEXT

Marlins: LHP Adam Conley (6-5, 5.17 ERA) allowed five runs and 11 hits in a 10-1 loss to the Nationals on Aug. 9. He'll face the Nationals on Wednesday.

Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (10-4, 3.10 ERA) is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break.

It's that wonderful time of year again — when baseball teams flock to warmer climates for spring training and the regular season is practically around the corner — and Bryce Harper is already killing it.

It took the Washington Nationals a few games to brush away their offseason cobwebs and get back into gear, but since the beginning of March, they're riding a five-game win streak as of Sunday the 4th.

They are 6-4-1 in spring training going into Monday's matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Since Thursday, the Nats have taken down — in order — the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, defending World Series champion Houston Astros, the Detroit Tigers and the Mets again. Sunday's 6-2 win against the Tigers was in large part thanks to Harper's bat, as the star of the team drilled his first home run of spring training.

We are fortunate enough to live in a world where we can watch a former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback (attempt to) hit against a three-time Cy Young pitcher in a Major League Baseball preseason game.

Max Scherzer took less than a minute to strike out Tim Tebow, who was batting cleanup for the Mets in a spring training game Friday. You can watch the whole at-bat here:

Tebow was able to redeem himself later in the game with his first hit of the year against Nats prospect Erick Fedde. He will likely begin the season with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies, but Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he believes Tebow will eventually see some at-bats in the Majors.